1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switching device and more particularly, to a switching device to operate an image recording and replaying apparatus such as a video cassette recorder (VCR), a compact disc player (CDP), or a digital versatile disc (DVD) player.
2. Description of the Related Art
An integrated button structure is often adopted as a switching device of various types of image recording and replaying apparatuses such as VCRs, CDPs, DVD players, and the like. The integrated button refers to an individual operation of switches, for instance, four tact switches, by pressing left and right keys and top and bottom keys of one button. One typical example of such a switching device with the integrated button is shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.
As is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a switching device of a typical image recording and replaying apparatus includes a frame 10, a switchboard 20, an integrated button 30, and a front panel 40.
The frame 10 has a button sheet 11 recessed a predetermined depth from a first surface of the frame 10, and a guide boss opening 12 positioned in a center of the button sheet 11. Four operation boss openings 13 are positioned in top, bottom, left, and right sides, respectively, around the guide boss opening 12. Also, four tension ribs 14 are positioned in a diagonal direction of the button sheet 11.
Four tact switches 21 are mounted on the switchboard 20, and are disposed on an inner side of the frame 10, such that the four tact switches 21 correspondingly face the operation boss openings 13. Herein, the four tact switches 21 are switches to perform functions of play, pause, stop, fast forward, and fast rewind.
The integrated button 30 is disposed on the button sheet 11 of the frame 10, and includes a guide boss 32 inserted into the guide boss opening 12, and four operation bosses 33 individually inserted into the respective operation boss openings 13. Also, there are four function keys to operate the four tact switches 21 in top, bottom, right, and left sides of the integrated button 30.
The front panel 40 is coupled with the frame 10, and an exposure opening 41 exposing the integrated button 30 is positioned in a predetermined portion of the front panel 40. The integrated button 30 is disposed to be elastically biased towards an outer side by the several tension ribs 14 positioned on the button sheet 11 of the frame 10. Also, the integrated button 30 is maintained in a designated position by being supported in an inner edge side of the exposure opening 41 of the front panel 40.
By selectively pressing top and bottom and left and right ends of the integrated button 30, a desired function is selected on the switching device of the image recording and replaying apparatus configured as described above, by the operation bosses 33 operating the respective tact switches 21.
In the switching device of the image recording and replaying apparatus, to select a desired function, there should be a uniformly maintained gap G between each two of the operation bosses 33 and the tact switches 21. When one end of the integrated button 30, for instance, the top end, is pressed to correspondingly operate one of the tact switches 21 disposed in the top side of the switchboard 20, so that the tact switches 21 disposed in left and right sides of the switchboard 20 are not operated. As is shown in FIG. 4, a moving distance of a top operation boss 33-1 is twice of that of a left or right operation boss 33-2 when the top operation boss 33-1 is depressed, and thus, the gap G is necessarily set to be longer than a distance that is one half of the distance that the top operation boss 33-1 fully moves. If the gap G is maintained with a lesser distance, sensitivity of the integrated button 30 is reduced, or more than two functions may be selected. Because of the gap G with the properly maintained distance, when the top end of the integrated button 30 is pressed, only a desired tact switch 21 is pressed and operated without operating non-desired tact switches 21 adjacent to the top end of the integrated button 30. This selective operation of the tact switch 21 can be identically applied to the left and right ends and the bottom end of the integrated button 30.
But in the conventional image recording and replaying apparatus, since the gap G exists between the operation bosses 33 and the tact switches 21, an operating distance of each tact switch 21 is unnecessarily elongated. As a result, an operator feels the integrated button 30 moving loosely, or senses a poor operative feeling.
Also, if a typical button and the integrated button are placed on one panel, the typical button and the integrated button may be sensed to have different operative feelings based on the above described reason. Since the loose moving of the button and the poor operative feeling may impede quality enhancement of products, it is necessary to develop a new solution for these problems.